Walking Therein

Our Winter Homeschool Time

What in the world have you been up to lately? Are you homeschooling on through the end of the year or taking a break? Do you plan outdoor activities? Is it warm or cold where you are?

We seem to be doing what we always do. I feel like that is what I say a lot. "We just keep homeschooling, learning as we go...." we are writing a lot, drawing and coloring a lot. Some are doing some math work in books, and we are all reading the Bible and some good books or stories. I think my children know each of the different kinds of birds that visit the birdfeeder each day, many times a day. Hannie's beloved Mr. Crooked Beak(the chicken) died this past week, so there is a life-learning experience.

There is rarely a time you will walk in our door and hear absolutely nothing. You will either hear playing with legos and riding through the room shouting "Hi-ho, Silver, away!" or maybe a "Lu-u-cy! or someone, usually Eric, singing Amazing Grace. Sometimes there is bickering and sometimes there's a scream, but be sure that learning will soon follow.

I make no excuses for the girls doing most of the cooking around here. I don't think I could keep them from cooking if I wanted to. Sometimes they do consider it a chore, but there is always one- of the four oldest- who *wants* to serve her family by cooking up something delicious. Rachel has been trying new recipes, and Hannie is proud to make a full breakfast or an entire dinner. Even Eric loves to make fried eggs for breakfast. Yummmm.

Speaking of eggs. We have eggs. There is not a day that they aren't bringing a dozen eggs in after morning barn chores. A dozen. A day. Need eggs? I have loved having our chickens, and I hope that this winter cold doesn't bring any hard lessons about life on the farm. Last year's lessons were enough to last me a good long time.

Jocelyn made goat's milk soap last month. I took the pictures. She is trying to cure it, and I am not sure she is having the best luck with it, but hopefully it will harden-up soon. She is also learning some things about her new blog, A Pondering Heart. Mr. Eric N is helping her out a little learning some, as it is not the same as html is. Paulie is also helping her with her template, and he is helping Amanda too. We are having him transfer all of our files to our own server as time allows. This will give the girls a chance to see how all of that works as well as coding css and such. Computer classes... it's all good.

Amanda and I are checking off her list on her transcripts and getting her final paperwork in gear to graduate. She is looking forward to learning all the Lord has for her right here(or wherever we move to) in our home until God brings her her future husband. That is not something I have brainwashed her into believing. Amanda is a very independent-thinking young lady who has to bring herself in and to conclusions about God's plan for her. This is just one of those things god has brought around in her heart. As for me, I am learning so much of how to have an almost-adult young woman who is still my child in the home, and it is a blessing and a struggle as I learn things too.

Eric, who "just learned to read at nine" is so excited he only has *this much left* in The Fellowship of the Ring. He cannot wait for Amanda to pick up The Two Towers from the library.

Hannie, well she turned 8, and she gets to draw and read and write her stories every day. That is her learning. She also does math. I think the 'subject' she likes the most - aside from cooking- is holding and watching over LucyLillie. She and Rachel have been writing and studying from Polished Cornerstones too. It is a lovely Bible study, and they are each learning a lot.

I hate to take a break at this time, not because it is so hard to 'get back into the swing of things', but rather because we will miss so much learning if we do quit for awhile. I am a teacher at heart, and I will take any circumstance I can to teach God's truths or science or history as we walk and talk with them.

The only thing I plan to do for sure is get them all out in the fresh cool crisp air and build a snowman. Or something like that. We got eight inches of snow; we might as well learn something about it!

Blessings, and enjoy those Living Learning Moments!

~Jacque

God, If You're Real, Show Me A Sign!

After Eden offers weekly cartoons reflecting on God, creation, sin, and salvation.

The Pumpkin Party Sketch

I have missed participating in the BFS lately. I had quite the time getting this post up, but finally. I finally got these Fall pumpkin pictures uploaded. Amanda did it for me. Thanks Amanda!

Angela said in a comment on my last post, "I see that you have allowed each of your children to become "who they are" and not tried to fit them into any type of "homeschooling" mold. At least that's my perspective from cyberland. "

I asked Jocelyn if she felt that was true (hoping she thought it was), and she agreed that we do. And why not? I so want our children to be who God created them to be. I only hope that I can get out of the way and let Him do what He has for them, all the while being there, teaching and encouraging them on.  I hope you enjoy this and get a little peek into why we homeschool and why it is so fun!

So... a Pumpkin Party...

We had a very nice time setting up a pumpkin and some Fall-ish decor and sitting down to sketch it.  These are the outcomes of the hour or so we sat down to sketch what we each saw. If you would like to see more detail, look at our Homeschool Projects Album.Your pw is friend.

Amanda, who is really rather good at drawing, but hates to do it because she doesn't think she is, held Little LucyLillie while the rest of us drew. She wants to do a photo/graphix project instead, so it's all good. LucyLillie held out for about a half an hour, then she decided we were all being too quiet, I guess, so she took a little nap.

Eric sat right up to the table to start with. He really does love to draw... even though he hid his sketches so I couldn't upload them, and I didn't realize it until... well, I was already done.

After a few minutes, he decided to join us on the couch to get a better view . Doesn't he look so serious? He really is very good, and I am going to get those on here.

Isaac and Jocelyn each grabbed a little desk to sit in and started sketching. She is quite a meticulous artist, but at least she has learned she doesn't need complete silence. Which, I might add, is a rarity in this home and makes the occasions of complete silence all the more noticeable. But, really, I have found that silence does not equal peace. We find peace in our chaos loudness a lot in our home. It really is a matter of perspective.

Speaking of perspective, I pulled the table to the center of the room, so we could sit around it. This also gives us each different view to sketch.

We sat and sketched for some time. Here, Jocelyn is still in the same place, but as time wore on, she moved the desk  around and actually drew a conglomeration of several different angles of the centerpiece.

Rachel's view was different the rest of ours.  She was on the end and could only see part of the back pumpkin.  The one in front really had that weird side on it. I thought it was interesting to look at the gourds like that, because my sketch was from "the front" and you can see the length. On hers you can only see the top.

Rachel has been drawing the most beautiful pictures lately of birds and flowers.
She has a beautiful eye for sketching nature.

Jocelyn used to be the 'artistic star' of the family, but now all of our children not only enjoy sketching, drawing and coloring, but are very good at it. We got them private lessons from a friend when Amanda was 12, Jocelyn was 10, Rachel was 9, and Eric was 5. There was little art instruction, and a lot of clay molding.  I think Jocelyn gained a confidence in her drawing ability and Amanda felt like she was standing in her shadow, so Amanda did not want to take lessons and it was then just Jocelyn and Rachel, and Eric went occasionally. So, Jocelyn and Rachel learned better to express themselves through their drawing because of their confidence and time they were allowed to put into it.

Now, her 2nd (or 3rd, I can't remember how many times she started over). She said she had to start over (and over, apparently!), because she has lost her artistic ability. I think there is no way one can lose their artistic ability. I also think everyone has artistic ability. Yes, some are stronger than others, but just because one has not been taught how to put their artistry on paper does not mean they do not have it.  God is a creative God. He is a God who loves and created beauty that we are usually to busy to even notice.

Isaac drew 2 pumpkins, and then Caleb scribbled colored on them.  Isaac was none too happy, but, you know, it ended up that it was ok with him. If you look at the bottom sketch, it is a leaf. This leaf had a bunch of white spots on it, so that is what Isaac zoned in on - the white spots.

He drew a bunch of circles all over it, and I had to ask him what they were, so he showed me the leaf.

Teaching Children Responsibility at Home

I just heard Jocelyn ask Hannah if she wanted to start dinner. Makes me proud.
Hannah is 7 1/2. She is in the kitchen, cooking the chicken in the iron skillet right now. She also peels the carrots and potatoes when that is on the menu, and today, she cut up all of the Brandywine and Roma tomatoes and put them into freezer bags for when we process and can them.
Part of her kitchen duties are to wash and dry the dishes and put away what she can reach. She vacuums, of course, and cleans off countertops and picks up the floors.


I am not giving you all of this to boast or to say that she is always the perfect little helper. Right now she is the perfect little helper... this afternoon - not so much. We have just had so many Moms and young girls amaze at the fact that the girls cook and clean and sew and milk goats, etc. I know that there are many who do such household tasks, but, still people are amazed.
Truthfully, Jocelyn was amazed when she played softball a couple years back, and none of the girls knew how to cook! I can't imagine cooking and cleaning like a maid for children who will grow up and expect others to do for them, instead of taking the time to do for and be proud of themselves.  To feel a sense of accomplishment in a job well worth doing.


 I will tell you, though, it is never to early to start. We have Caleb and Isaac help too, and they are 4 and 2. They can help. They can pick things up and put things away for themselves and their siblings. It is fun at their ages, if I don't make it a drudgery to them. They will also learn that they can pick up and put way for others, not just their own things.
We have always done things like this with the Littles, because we have oodles of pictures with them dusting, vacuuming... just helping Mommy. As our older children got older, the Littles sometimes got a little lost in it all, but we still included them in the cleaning. I mean, what do you do when you are cleaning? Put them in front of a video? NOT.
You definitely don't want to start that habit. Then, your children will get to be the age you think they should help, and they will think they should be in front of the tv or video games or computer... You do NOT want that mess!!
The later you start, the more of a battle it will be. If you start a bit late - or a lot late... ENDURE THE BATTLE! It really will be worth it in the end. Apologize for not teaching them a good work ethic and good habits, and tell them just how important it is today as a part of your family and for the future, as they have their own family.
ok... gotta go... Jocelyn just came in here with Hannah... Hannah's crying, and Jocelyn said, "I'm working them too hard!". Hannah had been cutting up an onion!
;)

blessings! -Jacque

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.